End Rows for March 25, 2014

The question has been asked, "Is there anything I need to sign right now at the FSA office?"

If there are no changes to your farming operation, the next time you need to contact the FSA office is to report your planted crops.

-- May 15 is the deadline to report spring oats and potatoes.

-- July 15 is the deadline for corn, grain sorghum, soybeans and all other crops.

If you have CRP with no other crops, you can file your acreage report any time before July 15.

If there have been any changes made to your farming operation, contact your administrative FSA office to update your records.

These changes include, but are not limited to, the following:

-- Purchase or sale of farmland

-- Operator change

-- Change in the number of farms your operate

-- Entity Change

-- Address change

-- Banking change if on direct deposit

We also recommend reviewing any powers of attorney on file, especially if you changed farm operators.

By updating your records now, you will be ready to go when signup occurs later this year.

Breaking new ground

Agricultural producers are reminded to consult with FSA and NRCS before breaking out new ground for production as doing so without prior authorization may put a producer's federal farm program benefits in jeopardy.

This is especially true for land that must meet Highly Erodible Land (HEL) and Wetland Conservation (WC) provisions.

Producers with HEL determined soils must apply tillage, crop residue and rotation requirements as specified in their conservation plan.

Producers should notify FSA prior to conducting land clearing or drainage projects to ensure compliance.

If you intend to clear any trees to create new cropland, these areas will need to be reviewed to ensure any work will not risk your eligibility for benefits.

Landowners and operators can complete form AD-1026 Highly Erodible Land Conservation (HELC) and Wetland Conservation (WC) Certification to determine whether a referral to Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is necessary.

Maintaining the quality of loaned grain

Bins are ideally designed to hold a level volume of grain. When bins are overfilled and grain is heaped up, airflow is hindered and the chance of spoilage increases. The recent changes in weather can also cause spoilage.

Producers who take out marketing assistance loans and use the farm-stored grain as collateral should remember that they are responsible for maintaining the quality of the grain through the term of the loan.

Unauthorized disposition of grain

If loan grain has been disposed of through feeding, selling or any other form of disposal without prior written authorization from the county office staff, it is considered unauthorized disposition.

The financial penalties for unauthorized dispositions are severe and a producer's name will be placed on a loan violation list for a two-year period.